Voyage of the Devilfish [Hardcover]

Michael DiMercurio (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 1992

A U.S. naval commander carries out a personal vendetta against the man who killed his father, in a confrontation of superpowers that could provoke an apocalyptic disaster.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the near-future of this uneven but exciting techno-thriller, the Russian Republic's newest super-sub, the Kaliningrad, departs for the Arctic Ocean under hard-liner Adm. Alexei Novskoyysp evidently ok . His objective: to coordinate a massive nuclear strike on the U.S. under the guise of a routine naval maneuver. Stalking the Kaliningrad in turn is the U.S. attack sub Devilfish --whose captain, Cmdr. Michael Pacino, learns just before sailing that Novskoyy sank his father's sub 20 years ago. Why an officer with personal motives for vengeance is assigned to such a vital mission is but one of the unnecessary implausibilities that burden the story line. These structural shortcomings, however, are secondary to convincing depictions of cat-and-mouse games in the waters beneath the Arctic icepack. As told by first novelist Dimercurio, a former submarine officer, collision poses a greater risk than do torpedoes and missiles as the submarines hunt each other at point-blank range, building to a page-turning, nuclear-tipped climax.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Russian admiral Alexi Novskoyy, a hardline Communist who commands the Soviet Northern Submarine Fleet, wants to resume the Cold War by starting a hot one. Aboard the most advanced Soviet sub, Kaliningrad , he determines to use his fleet to attack the United States. Dispatched to track the rogue admiral, outgunned and uncertain about Novskoyy's intentions, USS Devilfish captain Michael Pacino relies on stealth and extraordinary submarine tactics to stop the Russian sub and foil the attack. In his first novel, Navy veteran Dimercurio takes the reader from the Pentagon to the polar icecap, maintaining the suspense throughout. Those who liked The Hunt for Red October ( LJ 10/15/84) will love this book, which includes an extensive glossary of military terms and acronyms. Recommended for all fiction collections.
- Grant A. Fredericksen, Illinois Prairie Dist. P.L., Metamora
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 351 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (August 30, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556112912
• ISBN-13: 978-1556112911
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,700,954 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I'd recommend this book to anyone! A great miltary thriller!, November 12, 2001

By 

Jim Egan (Bedford, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voyage of the Devilfish (Paperback)

I'll admit -- when I first saw the book I have no idea who Micheal Dimercurio was. The only thing that drew my attention was my love for military-type thrillers. I fully expected to end up saying, "Yeah.... OK. Nice Book. But Tom Clancy still kicks butt." Well.... after reading the book. I couldn't wait for the next to come out. A serious Tom Clancy rival. If you like military-type thrillers (especially when it involves the Navy), You'll love this book.

Basically, Michael Pacino, the main character, is a hot-shot submarine commander with the Navy in his blood. His father was a sub commander who died "on patrol" in the '70s -- his father's best friend happens to be Pacino's godfather & commanding officer.

When the "whole god-damn Russian Atlantic fleet" goes to sea, Pacino is sent to investigate and "it just so happens" that the Russian sub commander that he goes up against is the same one who is believed to have sunk Pacino's father in the 70s. As you can imagine, this makes Micheal Pacino all the more determined in his task. There are several parts where you will not be able to put the book down -- even for a minute.

There are a few things where it's "a bit of a stretch of the imagination" but very, very few. It's a very good book & I'd recommend it -- along with the rest of Micheal Dimercurio's books to anyone.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars STUNNING debut by newest member of techno-club, November 13, 2000

By 

Jeff Edwards "RadioJeff" (Twin Falls, Idaho) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Voyage of the Devilfish (Paperback)

When I first read 'The Hunt For Red October' I was hopelessly attracted to Submarine novels. Unfortunately Clancy didn't write any more of them. So I began to search for the heir to the 'sub crown' of moderan naval fiction. I tried 'Kilo Class' and found it was okay, but not what I was looking for. I then found Mark Joseph who has written two exceptional submarine novels ('To Kill The Potemkin' & 'Typhoon') and patiently waited for his 3rd...but it never arrived. Out of pure luck I discovered Michael DiMercurio and picked up 'Voyage of the Devilfish' and THAT is when I discoverd the heir to Clancy's (sub) throne.

I have YET to be disappointed with ANY of the books by this author. You COULD read them all in whatever order you choose because they stand alone, but I recommend you read them in order because he just keeps getting better. The main reason why these books are so realisitic is because of DiMercurio's experience as an honest-to-goodness submariner. With that said, if you enjoyed 'Red October' than you will NOT be disappointed with this guy. His descriptions are first rate, and in some cases, a few sound a little far-fetched, but when I asked a friend of mine who had served on the USS Bluefish how realistic they were, all he said was, "Maybe, maybe not". He just wouldn't elaborate. Kudos to DiMercurio's debut effort, and his subsequent follow-up's are very much worth reading. If you count yourself a fan of this particular genre (underwater submarine techno-thriller) this guy IS the reigning king in fictional print today. No joke. DiMercurio is the real deal.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! Kaboom!, April 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Voyage of the Devilfish (Paperback)

OK, I'll admit, when I first picked up the book I wasn't expecting something exceptional, expecting to have "Sub A Vs. Sub B, US Sub sinks Russian sub, sails victoriously into port, and that's that." This book had a nuclear-tipped battle that went far, far, beyond the average sub thriller (I would love to go into specifics, but then I'd spoil the many unexpected and awesome plot twists :-). The descriptions, being from a former SSN officer, are very vivid and realistic, their level of detail rivaling Tom Clancy himself. I also liked that along with the extensive descriptions of things often down the subatomic (which I enjoyed greatly), there was also a deeply personal story that is not neglected or forgotten in the book. Unlike some novels, you don't feel that you're reading the book as much as it feels as though you're being pulled along by the novel, and you sit back and enjoy the powerful ride! One thing this novel reminded me was of a Dale Brown novel (except underwater!) in that it had a fictional super-weapon based on current and theoretical capabilities, and is used in the most action-packed manner possible. Sure, as was discussed there's the "problems" with the name of the 637-class sub, the Mk-49s and Mk-50s, etc., but as the author has pointed out that was just artistic license so I didn't have any problem with that. The best sub thriller I've seen in a long, long time. I've been hooked on DiMercurio novels! READ "VOYAGE OF THE DEVIFILSH"!!!